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Legend of Zelda Producer Addresses Female Link Rumors

E3 created a huge buzz this year with some nice surprises and anticipated titles. The next Legend of Zelda for Wii U created a huge storm this year with its gorgeous new looks and the rumors that began to circulate around them. The main question was, “Is Link a girl?” Several people seemed to support this rumor, and while the series producer Eiji Aonuma has debunked this rumor, it may have been his own earlier comments that fueled it.

Aonuma told Game Informer, “Another interesting comment I’ve heard, quite frequently actually, is that, ‘Oh Link’s a woman. Link is female now.’ That might be something that consciously we kind of did, but not to say anything specific — I am not saying anything specific — but, I am hoping people continue to comment, and I will continue to follow the fan comments and reactions to the trailer.”

It was later clarified that the comments were made jokingly to MMGN. “I don’t want people to get hung up on the way Link looks because ultimately Link represents the player in the game.” He continued, “I don’t want to define him so much that it becomes limiting to the players. I want the players to focus on other parts of the trailer and not specifically on the character because the character Link represents, again, the player.”

In the midst of the chaos surrounding diversity in video games, this rumor definitely sparked a massive burst of energy inside the pool of Zelda fans. I was ultimately a bit shocked at the amount of people who were willing– and even excited– to accept a female Link, particularly stating the fact that Link’s character is a silent representation of ourselves. Also adding in the fact that Link in each game is essentially a new character, many people have wondered why there hasn’t been a female version.

2 thoughts on “Legend of Zelda Producer Addresses Female Link Rumors”

I was actually hoping it would be Zelda in the new game, I’d like to see her have an adventure all her own! Either way, regardless of Link’s gender, I’m sure the game will be loads of fun, they always are. It would be cool to see a female protagonist since they haven’t done that before in a Zelda franchise game, but I understand if they don’t change it up. Link has always been a male so in some ways it does make sense for them to stick to that gender. The new Link does look rather feminine though, that’s for sure. I can see where the confusion was sparked.